


Epicness Reloaded

by Pteriforever



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: F/M, Post-Sunset
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-30
Updated: 2011-12-30
Packaged: 2017-10-28 12:05:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/307693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pteriforever/pseuds/Pteriforever
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In this story, Hawkfrost has won and the tyrannical Firestar is defeated. Then a bunch of people die and the story tapers off into nothing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Epicness Reloaded

**Author's Note:**

> This is what happens when you try to write a longfic without planning it properly.

Title: EpicnessReloaded  
by Pteriforever

Summary: *UNFINISHED*

This is my first Warriors fanfic. I can't describe it.

Notes: RATED G FOR MODERATE VIOLENCE

Published at: 2010-04-09  
Revised at: 2010-08-02 07:59:26 -0400

Chapter  
Yes! At last!" Hawkfrost mewed with great satisfaction.

Finally, Firestar was dead. He had won.

Brambleclaw looked first at the ground in front of him, then at Hawkfrost. It was a great feeling that the forest was now safe from stupid pacifist leaders. Firestar was an insult to everything Brambleclaw stood for. He couldn't believe he ever trusted the cat. Everything was a lie!

The awesome moment was interrupted by a sound in the bushes not too far to the right. Soon afterward, Ashfur burst from the bushes to the edge of the lake.

Chapter  
Brambleclaw was confused by all that had happened in the past twenty seconds.

"Ashfur?! What are-"

"It's fine!", Hawkfrost interrupted. I guess I should've told you this before, but he helped set this up."

Brambleclaw was about to speak again, but Ashfur was obviously in a hurry.

"Here I am! did everything go well?"

"Yes, Ashfur. Probably couldn't have gone much better."

"I'll go back and tell everyone the good news , then, I guess!"

Ashfur disappeared as quickly as he had come.

Chapter  
"I think I should be off too.", said Hawkfrost. "See you at the next gathering!"

There was nothing left for Brambleclaw except to go back to the hollow. It was a short way through the sunwashed forest.

When he got there, though, the entire clan was in disorder. Ashfur had travelled swiftly, and given the state of the clan, he probably didn't deliver the news very tactfully either. Ashfur was nowhere to be seen, but almost everyone was disrupted. Cloudtail and Dustpelt were urgently trying to keep the peace, without too much success.

Chapter  
A number of cats near the other end of the camp were arguing with Brackenfur. They were shocked and disbelieving.

"That can't be right!", one of them mewed urgently.

Ashfur reappeared among the others after a short while.

Spiderleg and Birchpaw burst out of seemingly nowhere, horrified and angry.

"That Ashfur is a murderer!" Spiderleg yowled across the hollow. "Chase him away! Send him into exile!"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!", said Dustpelt, irritably.

Brambleclaw only now realised a large mistake. After all the help that he'd given him, there was no way that they could let anyone do anything to Ashfur.

Everyone had stopped bickering for a few moments to listen to Dustpelt.

However, Brambleclaw had spotted something else. With green eyes blazing with anger, Squirrelflight was staring straight at him. He hated to think what she might be thinking of. Did she know that he had done it? If so, what will she do?

Chapter  
Cloudtail was a bit fed up with all this.

"Alright! Is anyone going to confirm that this is more than a joke? I mean, we don't even know that it's Ashfur's fault, or even that Firestar is really dead!"

"Ashfur wouldn't lie. I don't think it was his fault either, but we need to check", Dustpelt said, turning to Cloudtail, seriously but softly.

Looking up, Brambleclaw saw that Squirrelflight's gaze was now fixed, with suden concern, at Ashfur, who stood in front of the other warriors.

Dustpelt spoke again. "Brackenfur, Sandstorm — you go check if Ashfur's story is actually true. Supposedly, the incident happened close to the lakeshore, halfway to the Shadowclan border. Thornclaw, Spiderleg, Whitepaw, and I will go for the sunhigh patrol. Cloudtail, PLEASE make sure nothing bad happens."

The group of cats split up as they followed Dustpelt's orders and went about their daily duties.

Chapter  
Birchpaw!", Ashfur shouted, trying to find his apprentice.

There was no answer. Ashfur shoted again, and finally the brown apprenctice appeared.

"I'm not doing anything with you. I hate you!"

Ashfur was infuriated. "You are going to come training with me, LIKE IT OR NOT, or you will NEVER become a warrior, DO YOU UNDERSTAND!?"

No answer, once again.

"I'm going to get Cloudtail!"

"NO!"

There was absolutely nothing that could be done to get Birchpaw to do anything.

Brackenfur came back, not too much later, wide-eyed and shocked.

He found Cloudtail, who was with Stormfur, and started delivering the information quickly and concisely.

"It's true. Firestar is dead. He was caught in a trap. There is one more detail that might interest you, which is that RiverClan scent was found on the scene."

"No… That can't be right!", mewed Stormfur.

Cloudtail's eyes filled with visions of disaster.

Chapter  
"It is", said Brackenfur solemnly.

"NO!"

"Don't you two get it!?, meowed Cloudtail.

"What's wrong with you all of a sudden?", said Brackenfur.

"CEREMONY. TONIGHT. I can't believe that I'm the only one who remembers these things!"

"So we're assuming that Brackenfur and Ashfur were both right?"

"Of course, Stormfur! Neither of them would deliberately lie. Now please get back to your duties, both of you.

Brackenfur didn't bother argue.

As he left, he sensed something amiss.

The outrage largely disappeared for a few hours until Dustpelt's patrol came back. Brambleclaw had evaded blame by going on a short hunting patrol, coming back only a short while before Dustpelt did.

Chapter  
When Dustpelt came back, he decided to seek confirmation from Brackenfur. Instead of the convoluted reaction Cloudtail gave, Dustpelt just nodded and kept on.

The ceremony later that day was not particularly notable. Brambleclawwas waiting for it to be over, so he could forget the dark times behind him. When it was over, however, a few stood vigil. Most of the more useful warriors, however, like Brambleclaw, were glad for the horrible era to be over.

That night, he managed to sleep a bit more easily than he normally would have done. Darkness swirled past as the world drifted away.

Chapter  
"Ashfur's gone!"

Brambleclaw woke up with a start. He couldn't remember who said it, but Ashfur's place was definitely empty. A few were already out on patrols, but it wasn't too much longer before Squirrelflight came in with immense worry.

"What?"

He stood up. Squirrelflight was evidently worried for her mate's sake; Ashfur was one of the only ones who didn't distrust her.

He then left to go about his duties before being interrupted by Dustpelt. "Come with me", he said, softly enough so that no other cat could hear.

Chapter  
Brambleclaw followed Dustpelt through the back enterance out of the camp, to a place with dense trees, halfway to the lake.

Continuing until they reached the far side of a great tree, where there, obviously waiting, were Cloudtail, Leafpool, and, unnervingly, Squirrelflight.

"So you're here", said Cloudtail. "I think you need to know about this…"

Brambleclaw took his place among the others.

Each was silent for a while.

An atmosphere of unease penetrated the minds of all. Brambleclaw secretly wondered who was running the camp while most of the trustworthy warriors were here.

"Leafpool has some… let's say startling news that you really deserve to know about…"

Chapter  
"Umm, I'm not sure about this…", said Leafpool, backing away.

"You really need to tell him.", encouraged Dustpelt. "What would happen if he found out later?"

Leafpool came forward again. "Ok", she mewed hesitantly.

"Ok", she repeated after a short silence. "StarClan seems to be saying that Cloudtail should be the next leader."

It took a few moments before Brambleclaw came to terms with the revelation, before he realised what this meant. The great setup had all backfired! StarClan was against him now!

He shuddered under Squirrelflight's piercing gaze, He began to wonder if it was some kind of conspiracy, a plot by Squirrelflight to get revenge. It was certain possibility, as Leafpool had proven to be weak-willed, incompetent medicine cat.

Chapter  
"NO", Brambleclaw thought to himself. "I'm thinking too hard."

"Just one more thing.", said Dustpelt urgently.

He turned towards the others.

"There is already too much tension in the clan. This must be kept a tight secret for the next few days."

Brambleclaw could only stare ahead. This was really not what he had been expecting at all; it left him rather shocked, not only that Cloudtail would now be leader, but that the rest of the Clan wouldn't be able to know about any of it for a time!

He wondered, for a few moments, what this would cause.

Chapter  
Back at camp, it was harder to keep a secret due to all the other cats. Brambleclaw, however, felt a bit more confident.

During the next few days, the stress largely disappeared. During those days, nothing notable really happened. Squirrelflight, however, was as suspicious as ever. Dustpelt, too, was acting abnormally; He was definitely up to something, although he wouldn't let Brambleclaw know anything.

On the third uneventful day, Dustpelt ordered a surprise Clan meeting not far after sunhigh. Brambleclaw thought it would be about the topic discussed days before, but it turned out to be about something different entirely.

Chapter  
"This meeting will attempt to address the chaos caused by Ashfur's sudden disappearance. Firstly, his apprentice, Birchpaw, cannot go without a mentor forever. These duties, in my opinion, while we have no proper leader, should go to Sandstorm, until Ashfur comes back, if he does appear. Sandstorm, do you accept?"

"Yes. I'll do what is right for the Clan. I hope Ashfur comes back as much as any of us."

"Ok. Then it is done. The second issue, which has grown too much to ignore, is that ThunderClan has no leader at the moment."

At this point, Leafpool stepped up the the base of the Highledge.

"I recieved a sign", she meowed after a moderate pause, "in which StarClan told me that the next leader will be Cloudtail. I was really shocked by it."

Gasps of shock and disbelief came from the cats in front of her.

Chapter  
The many days that followed were strangely uneasy. Everybody else seemed to be feeling it too. They acted as if there was a badger just outside the camp; not terrified, just anxious and rather worried, but for good reason. Brambleclaw just couldn't think what that good reason might be. Other than that, everything seemed to be quiet.

Dustpelt, in particular, was not acting normally. He seemed to avoid him, as if there was a sort of secret among some of the others, hidden from them.

All the peace, however, changed again after two rather depressed weeks.

Suddenly, Brambleclaw woke up. It was not long pefore dawn. Dustpelt was already up. He drowsily walked out of the warriors' den.

"Brambleclaw, I was hoping you'd be here early.", Dustpelt said in the half-dark in front of him.

"Cloudtail set off for the Moonpool late last night. Me and Leafpool were the only ones there. I think you should know, because it concerns everyone."

If that was the case, Brambleclaw reasoned in his mind, then why must Dustpelt tell him alone?

It was definitely suspicious.

Chapter  
Brambleclaw disregarded it. Maybe Dustpelt just wanted to let him know before the others. Maybe he assumed that others would think the same and not be too suspicious. Whatever the reason, it wasn't important.

It wasn't too much longer before Brambleclaw decided to lead the dawn patrol with Ferncloud and Whitepaw.

The sun was just beginning to move above the horizon, showering the forest with warm rays.

The WindClan border was clear, and there were no signs of prey moving across the border, much to their relief. Deciding to go back to camp, they discovered something both interesting and quite startling.

Chapter  
Stale fox scent blew over the area. Brambleclaw assumed that the fox had been there maybe three or four days ago. Deciding to follow it just in case, they discovered that it had passed the opposite border into ShadowClan territory.

The three of them went back to camp, By now the sun was shining brightly, and almost all the cats were up. He went about his usual duties. At close to sunhigh, Cloudtail(Well, Cloudstar now) came back into camp, and was met by Leafpool as he came in. He was obviously exhausted from the long journey, but there was also some sort of subtle exasperation that Brambleclaw couldn't quite grasp.

Chapter  
"But what kinds of visions did you get?", mewed Leafpool with curiosity. "I would really like to know what it's like!"

Cloudstar was quite taken aback by this question. "It's confusing. It's very weird. It's both, well, exciting, but at the same time I've never felt more terrified. I can't explain."

He shivered as he finished. Leafpool looked a bit crestfallen, though.

Somehow, the clan had been reinvigorated by some presence.

That night, Squirrelflight was the only one awake. She was in the middle of the camp, far from all the dens. She looked up after a while into the pale moonlight. "Ashfur, where have you gone?"

Squirrelflight continued to stare at the sky. It might have been minutes, or maybe even several hours, before another cat appeared on that clear night.

"Are you ok?", said Stormfur calmly. "Don't you think you should be resting?"

"Go away", said Squirrelflight after a moment. "You don't understand how much I miss Ashfur."

Chapter  
"So… Ok.", meowed Brambleclaw. "How about Brackenfur leads the border patrol with Dustpelt and Spiderleg?."

"Ok, then. That sounds good. I'll get ready.", replied Brackenfur after a slight pause.

Just as Brackenfur and the others on the patrol turned to leave, a voice was heard.

"All cats gather beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!", Cloudstar yowled across the hollow.

All of the cats slowly came to the Highledge. The meeting began in the usual, informal way.

"The gathering is on just tonight", began Cloudstar, "And the cats that will be going to the gathering are Sandstorm, Brambleclaw, Brightheart, Sorreltail, and Birchpaw. We'll leave at sunset."

Brambleclaw looked in approval. Maybe he could meet Hawkfrost.

Chapter  
"There is, though, one more very important thing. I talked over this with Brackenfur, and we both agree."

Brackenfur stepped forward to the base of the Highledge.

"I, the leader of Thunderclan, call our warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice.

There was silence, as everybody watched in awe.

"Whitepaw, step forward."

Whitepaw did so silently and without question.

"Do you promise to uphold and protect the warrior code, even at the cost of your life?

Whitepaw's eyes gleamed as she shuddered with excitement.

"I do.", she said, knowing it was the tradition to say that.

"Then, with the powers of StarClan., I will give you your warrior name. From this second, you will be known as Whitewing!.

"Whitewing!" chorused

Chapter  
The time for the gathering came not too long after.

As they left towards the lake, the beautifully stunning moonlight speckled the forest floor. The sky was perfectly clear, good for a gathering.

At the lake, the cats turned towards ShadowClan territory in silence. The water was seemingly black, and it glistened in the moonlight. By now, some dark shapes were visible in the forest to the right.

Finally, they reached the gathering place. Crossing over, they found that nobody was there yet. The moon continued to shine above.

Shortly later, however, some more cats came across the tree bridge.

Chapter  
It was RiverClan. They came to one corner of the island and spread out. Quickly after that, the two remaining Clans appeared almost simultaneously.

After a while, Leopardstar, after checking that they were all there, announced to all the cats that the gathering was ready to begin.

"No.", some cat replied. "Firestar's not here."

There was silence as the others realised this.

"Umm…", began Sandstorm. "Something…happened to Firestar. Because Greystripe is gone, Cloudstar is the new leader. It's difficult to explain."

Some of those at the gathering, particularly WindClan and ShadowClan, were particularly shocked. Still, nothing could prevent the gathering started, and the leaders took their places in the central tree.

Chapter  
The meeting continued fairly calmly. He wasn't really that interested in the leaders and their lack of prey or their constant forcasts of doom and gloom. He looked urgently among the mass of cats. For a few seconds he couldn't see anyone he recognised. But then it struck him. Hawkfrost was there.

But Hawkfrost had noticed him first. He was hurriedly coming over to him.

"I heard something from Ashfur", he said, just as he reached Brambleclaw. "He said that he has to leave the forest because the entire Clan is after him. I don't understand."

"Well…", Brambleclaw began, "Some cats were outraged at him, but he disappeared the next day. I don't know anything about it!"

Hawkfrost tilted his head to one side, obviously curious.

"I don't understand!", he exclamed, albeit quietly. "Ashfur wouldn't do something like that just because he was feeling paranoid. I really…"

He trailed off. He saw the look in Brambleclaw's eyes.

Chapter  
It was very dark by the time they returned to camp.

"Why did Ashfur have to leave? Why!?", Squirrelflight said mournfully in the open air.

As they arrived back at camp, Stormfur was sitting outside the warriors' den. Even as the several cats that had left crowded around, he was still.

Eventually Sandstorm came over.

"Hey Stormfur, what's wrong?, she asked after a few awkward moments.

"She won't even talk to me…", replied Stormfur, seeming not to hear.

"What, who? what do you mean?", Sandstorm asked again, obviously confused.

"I can't stand to see here miserable like this…"

At this point Sandstorm joined the other warriors.

Chapter  
Birchpaw was very bored.

Sandstorm had been too busy to tell him what he was supposed to do — she hadn't trained with him since Ashfur disappeared, just sometimes sending hm off for mundane tasks.

He decided that he needed to do something. A plan formed in his mind, but e thought it useless. He just couldn't think of much at all.

At that point Berrykit came up behind Birchpaw.

Berrykit was now more than four moons old, and was very impatient to become an apprentice. He whispered something to Birchpaw that nobody else could make out.

"Alright", he whispered back. "Don't blame me, though, if something goes horribly wrong. You know it can."

Chapter  
The two of them silently left.

They walked a distance around the lake, stopping not too far short of ShadowClan territory. At this point, Burchpaw came to an abrupt halt.

"Ok, Berrykit, why did you want to come here in the first place?

"Oh come on! I just wanted to know what was over here, that's all! Daisy seemed to avoid this part of the territory, so of course I wanted to know what's so terrible about it!"

"That's all? you put everyone in danger for this? I-"

He broke off. A suspicious noise was heard.

Hazelkit appeared behind them.

"Oh, that's where you are. It's really dangerous, Brackenfur says you'll both be in horrible trouble-"

"Look, do you think I care what Brackenfur thinks? Did he send you? Seems a bit irresponsible. "

"Well, I-", he began to mew apologetically, but Birchpaw immediately interrupted her with terror.

"Oh my! What's that!?"

He spun around. "Quickly!"

He ran as fast as he possibly could back towards the camp.

Chapter  
Berrykit raced after him, but certainly couldn't catch up. Neither could Hazelkit, who was quite far behind him.

A violent, yet distant noise grew louder.

Birchpaw suddenly stopped and started climbing the nearest tree. "We can't outrun it!"

"Can't outrun what?", Berrykit questioned as he reached the base of said tree.

"Just hurry up!"

Berrykit didn't bother to argue.

Being still small and weak, he and Hazelkit couldn't make it up. Instead, he paniced for somewhere to hide, even though he didn't know the nature of the danger he was facing.

He had reached a large area of dense shrubbery and undergrowth. Bushes were scattered here and there. He dived under a large bush, painfully scratched by its twigs.

Hazelkit was coming up far behind.

"It's a fox! I knew it!", Birchpaw called out from somewhere relatively inaccessible.

Said fox then burst out. They couldn't escape now.

It was a large animal, and it couldn't reach Berrykit hidden in the bush.

Its harsh claws hit Hazelkit on the side, just as Birchpaw appeared from seemingly nowhere, distracting the fox.

Hazelkit called out from wherever she was. "Berrykit, look what you've done now! You really are an idiot!"

Now it was Birchpaw's problem. He ran off, for several minutes, making Berrykit feel more and more uneasy. Hazelkit was moaning, very hurt and almost unable to move.

"You've done it now, Berrykit…"

Seconds later, Birchpaw came back, very tired.

"Wow. That fox was so dumb. It ran straight into one of those traps!"

"Ouch…", Hazelkit said in pain.. "This is all your fault. Remember that, ok?"

Chapter  
"What's wrong with her, though? Is she alright?

Birchpaw was suddenly concerned. "She was hurt? What happened?"

"I don't know. I was hiding, remember?"

"We should go and find Leafpool. You know how amazing she is. Hazelkit will be fine."

"But..."

Birchpaw cut him off. "We need to get back to camp, like, now. You get help, ok?"

Berrykit ran in the general direction of the camp, without questioning or arguing. He was seriously worried now.

Hazelkit was bleeding quite heavily from the long scratch down her side, but still appeared to be awake. As he looked back, Birchpaw looked nervous.

Chapter  
Leafpool was less than pleased when Berrykit made it there.

"Alright. You're saying that Birchpaw took you out of the camp with Hazelkit, and sent you for help by yourself?! That's just wrong. I never knew he was so irresponsible!"

Angrily, she took the necessary supplies and headed out without looking back.

Berrykit anxiously waited just outside the nursery. The time passed very slowly.

Leafpool was certainly gone a very long time. He wondered what had happened! He became increasingly nervous as time passed.

The camp grew cold after a short while. He headed back in.

At some point -- he had lost track of time -- the terrifying happened.

"Where's Hazelkit?!", cried Daisy, suddenly alarmed.

Chapter  
Berrykit was shocked from his quiet thoughts of the peaceful afternoon by this stunning exclamation. So much time had passed that he had almost forgotten. His sister was still out there.

He curled up near the rocky back wall, alone with his thoughts. He was genuinely worried, but he felt that he really shouldn't get involved. It was too dangerous.

Not that he was looking forward to Daisy's subsequent panic attacks, but still.

It wasn't too much longer. Most of them were still looking for Hazelkit. They had just decided that she had left the camp with some other cat, when Leafpool finally came in with a shocked expression.

Chapter  
"What took you so long, Leafpool!?", said Whitewing with a reasonable level of frustration.

"Yeah, what?", some other cat agreed. "One-"

"Look, Leafpool has something important to say.", Brackenfur interrupted.

"I found Hazelkit dead somewhere out of the camp! There were other cats there! ThunderClan scent! I was too late!"  
Berrykit overheard all this in horror.

"NO!", exclaimed Brackenfur.

Leafpool nodded.

"It's true! Berrykit said- Oh nevermind."

"You mean you know where she went and you didn't tell us? You're a failure! Who could've done this!?"

Brackenfur began to panic.

"But it was all Birchpaw's fault...", Berrykit whispered to himself. "One day I'll get back at him..."

He sat in the corner miserably, hoping that, of all things, Daisy wouldn't find out for just a little longer.

It was unlikely.

Chapter  
He began to doze off, continually thinking sadly to himself.

"Oh no! This is horrible! Aaaaaaaaaah!", screamed Daisy, jolting Berrykit awake all of a sudden.

He didn't need to be told what made Daisy act like that. The inevitable had happened.

"NO! My poor- ARGH! THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE!"

Daisy whisked Mousekit back into the nursery.

"No! Calm down!", mewed Leafpool with substancial volume.

"Ok...!", said Daisy. There seemed to be a sudden mood swing. She was miserable now, instead of in extreme panic as she was seconds ago. "But I swear that whoever did this will-"

"I know what happened. I know who did it!", Berrykit suddenly cut in.

"Just stop!", said Leafpool, her tone repeating the same point. "He's trying to tell you something."

Chapter  
Daisy paused her insanity for just a couple of seconds.

"What?"

"It was Birchpaw. I saw it. He didn't try to help her. He just ran off! He is so evil-"

"I'll get him!", shrieked Daisy.

Leafpool tried to comfort her again."No! No! Stay calm! What will they-"

Daisy interrupted again. "This is awful! I never knew he was-"

Brambleclaw appeared from behind. "Alright. What's going on here?"

Leadpool lowered her voice incomparably. "Daisy's gone mad. She won't stop. She refuses to be comforted."

Daisy, although still horrified by the shocking revelation, finally stopped freaking out. The very truth was terrible.

Chapter  
In a few hours, it was time for the ceremony, but Berrykit was too sad to attend. The reality of Hazelkit's loss had really gotten to him. He overheard the ceremony, all the time staring at the corner. Daisy was still there, with such an emotionless look that the might as well be asleep.

Just then, he heard something interesting.

Leafpool, Brackenfur, and Cloudstar were arguing.

"Who would do such a thing? Who could be so idiotic as to put an innocent kit in danger of this horrible magnitude? Is there anyone in ThunderClan who mis really that evil?"

Berrykit hesitantly stepped towards them. "It...It was Birchpaw!", he stammered, immediately withdrawing back. The look of shock that it gave them was great. He felt too intimidated to hear the reply, but somehow he overheard anyway. "We will need to take action."

Chapter  
In a few hours, it was time for the ceremony, but Berrykit was too sad to attend. The reality of Hazelkit's loss had really gotten to him. He overheard the ceremony, all the time staring at the corner. Daisy was still there, with such an emotionless look that the might as well be asleep.

Just then, he heard something interesting.

Leafpool, Brackenfur, and Cloudstar were arguing.

"Who would do such a thing? Who could be so idiotic as to put an innocent kit in danger of this horrible magnitude? Is there anyone in ThunderClan who mis really that evil?"

Berrykit hesitantly stepped towards them. "It...It was Birchpaw!", he stammered, immediately withdrawing back. The look of shock that it gave them was great. He felt too intimidated to hear the reply, but somehow he overheard anyway. "We will need to take action."

Chapter  
The cool afternoon slowly faded to darkness. Stormfur was the only one there.

"Doesn't she know! Why-"

Sandstorm suddenly came out.

"Stormfur, this is getting ridiculous. You're losing sleep, your head has been in the clouds recently, and you're distracting us all. Why are you out here so late?"

"Because...", he began, being careful to pay close attention, "Squirrelflight's been missing for the third night in a row! She doesn't ever notice me! I've always loved her, but she's ignored me for so long, and I-"

"Oh, so Squirrelflight's the problem?", said Sandstorm, not missing the point at all. "Who knows what she'll do. She's probably plotting something after what happened to Firestar. Stay far away, ok?"

Stormfur tried to not listen. He just went to the warriors' den, almost as if he didn't hear at all.

The glorious moon went shining on and on.

Chapter  
Berrykit's anger slowly faded into silent rememberance. Days passed, the time making everything feel almost ok. It was becoming close to the time that he would be made an apprentice.

It was now time for Leafpool to take her medicine cat journey.

She followed the familiar path. She arrived as the first one at the Moonpool. The others slowly followed, but, as usual, Mothwing, who was almost as unskilled and incompetent as Leafpool herself, was absent.

Most of her visions that night were of little relevance. Eventually, there was an image of Ashfur. What was disturbing is that it was all dark and unusually silent. Nothing like the usual visions of StarClan, she thought.

"There are two cats. You already know them.", Ashfur began. "Their rivalry has the power to destroy the clan. They must both be stopped..."

Leafpool awoke. The others were still asleep, but the sky was clouding over with ominous, opaque clouds.

Chapter  
If this was, indeed, a prophecy, it certainly didn't sound very good at all.

She left before the others woke. The atmosphere was making her feel unstable.

The clouds advanced oppressively, making Leafpool more and more unnerved.

Before too long, she came back to the safety of the camp.

She was really afraid that this prophecy would mean something bad for the clan. She desperately looked for someone, anyone at all, to talk about the event with, but there was noone out; the next patrol was still a way off, and not even Stormfur appeared.

She couldn't sleep. She couldn't figure out what the prophecy meant either! Never had she felt so pathetic.

She eventually decided to rearrange her herbs. It was irritating when they weren't all in neat piles. Grateful to everything for finding something for her to do, she started.

Chapter  
More time passed. It was sort of uneventful, everyone going about their normal duties.

On the fourth day since then, Berrykit woke up, something different in the air. Leafpool hadn't gotten any better about the prophecy -- It was driving her insane.

Berrykit suddenly remembered. It was time for them to become apprentices! He didn't know what Mousekit felt, but he had certainly been very bored, especially while being kept strictly in the nursery most of the time due to Daisy's paranoia. It was finally time for all this to stop.

This was really exciting to him. Pretty much anything that didn't involver him being constantly fussed over by Daisy constantly was exciting!

He was hit by a sudden wave of doubt as Cloustar called a Clan meeting.

Could this really be about to happen?

Chapter  
Could this really be about to happen?

There was no turning back now. Nonetheless, his doubt still grew unhindered.

"I wonder how this will turn out...", he breathed to himself.

Brackenfur came and said something to them -- He couldn't qutie remember what -- and then told the two of them to follow him to the Clan meeting. It was strange actually being there -- most of the things that he knew about what happened at such meetings came from overhearing voices while he was supposed to be asleep.

As he was led out into the open, he almost felt himself trembling, remembering that it's fine to be nervous.

With the last cats arriving, the meeting began.

Chapter  
They were now standing right below the Highledge. A final wave of something negative struck him.

"Hazelkit should be here...", he thought, suddenly saddened. He then continued to stare at the ground until, eventually, all the cats fell silent.

There was an awkwardly long silence before Cloudstar started talking.

"From this day forward,", he began, shifting his paws uncomfortably as if he had forgotten what to say, "until he has earned his warrior name, this apprentice will be called Mousepaw."

More silence.

Finally he spoke again. "Spiderleg has been taught well. I hope he can pass on his abilities to Mousepaw."

He then turned his attention towards Berrykit, repeating most of the ceremony over again.

"Brambleclaw will be your mentor."

Cloudstar immediately dismissed the meeting, without even waiting for the Clan to congratulate them.

Chapter  
The prophecy had been still nagging at Leafpool. She was beginning to wish that it didn't exist in the first place, because it just seemed that it was taking over. She couldn't go for very long at a time without thinking about it. Things happened regardless.

The next morning, Berrypaw began his first training session. He was amazed at everything there was to be learned, all the different strategies -- And this was only the beginning!

He could tell it would be difficult, but somehow he felt... sort of... less alienated than he had ever been. Until now, his sense of belonging had been vague and unimportant.

Chapter  
They were back by sunhigh.

After a short while, Stormfur, Sandstorm, and Brightheart came in.

"Brambleclaw! This isn't good!" Sandstorm shouted seriously.

"What is it?", meowed Brambleclaw as he leapt over to join them.

"Well, actually two things. First, we found fox scent near the WindClan border."

"What? I thought... wait. How old was the scent?

"Err, hard to say because of the strong wind today. Probably early this morning, but I don't know."

"This morning? That doesn't sound good."

"There is one other thing, though", Sandstorm said with increasing concern.

"What's it about? Is it important?", replied Brambleclaw, feeling the situation get worse.

"It's just this. I think we saw Birchpaw!"

Chapter  
"What? Birchpaw? No way! I thought he left the forest!"

"Me too, Brambleclaw. The fact that he's out there somewhere is very worrying. He's dangerous, you know!"

"Yes..."

Brambleclaw thought for a moment. As he had found out before, this was a very real threat.

"I think you should tell Cloudstar about this. I don't think he's that busy at the moment. Maybe he'll be able to find a solution."

Sandstorm nodded and moved away. The others had already gone.

He was set to lead a hunting patrol not too far ahead, so he decided to find out what Berrypaw was doing before he left.

He was feeling thoughtful -- the future looked stormy and mysterious from where he was. There was no telling what would happen.

Chapter  
The day passed surprisingly quietly. The hunting patrol went fairly well, so they managed to find enough to bring back to the camp.

When it got a little later, only a few cats weren't in the camp.

Sunset came, closing rapidly on the forest. The next day was the gatheing, yet nobody really noticed until the actual day.

Stormfur was there once again, looking out into the silent darkness, moonlight speckling the forest with a dim light. This time, he had a different purpose. He had found a secret place in the trees, just outside the camp, that nobody had noticed before, and he was going to find it again.

There was nobody out at this time, but as he thought it was safe to look around, Brambleclaw appeared.

"I know what you're thinking.", he began suddenly, startling Stormfur. "But why are you so secretive? Everyone in the Clan knows you like Squirrelflight -- you don't need to-"

Stormfur ran off back to the warriors' den. Brambleclaw was right, he couldn't hide anything.

Chapter  
Stormfur ran off back to the warriors' den. Brambleclaw was right, he couldn't hide anything.

The shiny morning of the day of the gathering was pleasant. It was overcast, and cooler than usual, but still not too bad, a signal of the onset of Leaf-Fall.

While it was still half dark, Brambleclaw got up to lead the dawn patrol with Brightheart, Whitewing, and Mousepaw.

It was mostly clear. Nothing wrong along most of the ShadowClan border, although there was some more stale fox scent.

Three quarters of the way back to camp, something weird was going on. It happened for a while before Brightheart realised what was wrong. All the suspicious signs pointed in the same direction -- Windclan had been there!

Chapter  
They then rushed back to camp quickly so as to tell the news to someone.

When it was time for the gathering, Cloudstar once again selected the cats that would attend, and they left. The clouds had cleared, and the lake was all glittery with the light.

As the moon approached the highest point, they were almost there. As they reached the bridge, they realised that all the other clans were there except for WindClan.

The ThunderClan cats took their places. The outlines of all the trees and bushes on the island were easily visible as the moon went shining all along.

When finally WindClan came, everyone was there, and the gathering began.

Chapter  
Summary: AN: I found the file back again. The USB stick I keep it on was playing up.

When finally WindClan came, everyone was there, and the gathering began.

Almost first thing at the gathering, one cat predicted that it would be a mild leaf-bare and that nothing would go too badly. Whoever it was was backed up by three or four more chorusing voices

These dumb optimists, Brambleclaw thought, glancing at the central tree where the leaders were.

The rest of the gathering continued decently. There was less tension in that gathering; all the cats looked fairly calm. Eventually, as the night wore on, it concluded, and all the cats started on their jouney back to camp, leaving the island deserted once more.  
They were grateful that the moon was still bright, flooding the forest with a positive light.

Brambleclaw was grateful that he hadn't been added to any late-night patrols, because he was very tired after the long night, and was in need of a rest.

Chapter  
"Oh no! It's a disaster!"

Brambleclaw awoke to frenzied yowls. He climbed to his feet.

Out of all the voices, he could only pick out Cloudstar.

"Are you sure? Why would they do that?"

"Yes!", some unrecognisable cat shouted. "hey're just evil!"  
"What's going on?!", asked Brambleclaw to nobody in particular, some part of his mind telling him that something bad is about to happen.

Spiderleg came over to him to answer. "The patrols found WindClan on our side of the border. We want to attack them."

"For something like that? Don't we need more-"

"That's something Firestar would say. If that idiot was in this situation, what would he do?"

Brambleclaw was taken aback, because he had been pretty much called a nazi.

"That's right. Nothing."  
Brambleclaw realised that Spiderleg was right.

Chapter  
While all this was going on, Squirrelflight was just outside camp, watching over as usual.

"But what do you need me for?", Brightheart mewed.

"I need to get revenge. You're one cat I can trust. Watch him carefully, tell me if anything strange starts happening around him."

"That seems a bit too over-the-top.", she replied, feeling awkward inside.

"I know. There is one more thing I need help with. Stormfur's been gone since last night. I need you to find him and bring him here, because I need to talk to him."

"Why can't you do that yourself?"

"I don't want to run into Birchpaw. I swear he's still in this part of the forest."

Or Ashfur, Squirrelflight added in her mind. Or any other cats I hope I'll never see again.

"But still..."

"Ok, fine. I'll have to do this myself if I want it done. I thought you wanted to help me, but if that's the way it is, then fine."

Chapter  
"OK, OK. Stop this rioting immediately!", Brambleclaw was heard from camp.  
"Look. This is beginning to sound worse and worse. I'll have to leave now."

Squirrelflight watched until the other cat was almost out of sight. Feeling fairly certain that she was alone, she looked out on the camp. Did any of them know of her plans other than Brightheart? She had been sworn to silence, so no danger there.

It was still possible that something could go wrong. Maybe, just maybe. For now, at least, her plans were safe.

Things were getting even more heated back in camp. There had still been no conclusion of the problem of whether or not there was enough evidence to prove that WindClan was there, even though the majority seemed to want to attack them.

Chapter  
Cloudstar couldn't take it anymore. He just had to give them want they wanted or they'd go berserk -- It'd happened twice before, fairly recently. It's not that he didn't support it or anything -- He wanted to be fair top those who didn't.

He decided to go through with it. Eventually, he announced, "OK. We attack tomorrow at sunhigh."

He felt quite good saying that -- WindClan always were a serious problem -- but above all, he had made the proper decision. Exactly like Firestar wouldn't, he thought. He had never liked his strange restrictions, or his bizarre belief that Greystripe would come back. Now that he was leader, he could do whatever he wanted.

He secretly wondered what would happen at the next gathering. WindClan were useless, and were pretty much always late. He barely knew anyone important from there.

Finally, it grew dark.

Chapter  
Brambleclaw was once again on the dawn patrol. It was cold, but he was happy to be out for a while given all the tension.

He led the patrol as far away from WindClan as he could get away with. He thought it was overreacting, but yes, it was the best move. There was no other solution.

The trees were gently rustling. It was all so peaceful, and yet troubling.

Back at camp, almost everyone was up, going about their things. Surprisingly, it was fairly quiet.

Brambleclaw suddenly felt a new wave of determination. Maybe this could work, after all.

Chapter  
"Ok, are they back yet?" Cloudstar asked back in camp some hours later. He had been spending quite a lot of time talking to Brackenfur about relatively unimportant matters.

"The dawn patrol? They were back quite a while ago. I thought-"

"Then why didn't anyone tell me?"

"I guess they came back quietly. I didnt notice for a while either."

"I guess that makes sense. I have some important planning to do. You do whatever. There isn't enough time left to make anything important worth doing"

Brackenfur left in silence, watched carefully by Cloudstar. Finally, he left too.

He called a meeting as soon as he could, and told everyone hid plans.  
"We'll leave three warriors back here."

He then proceeded to list off a number of cats of who would go and who would stay. Pretty much everyone was sent except Mousepaw, Squirrelflight, and Dustpelt, as well as those who couldn't fight anyway.

Chapter  
They were all finally off. They reached the border in what felt like three minutes. Brambleclaw looked over the stream. If it wasn't for Firestar, he thought bitterly, that this bit of territory would be all theirs.

Sandstorm suggested to cross further upstream, where it was easier and more sheltered.

It was a good idea, Brambleclaw thought. Here, the cover didn't extend very far, and the stream was hard to cross where they were.

Finding a good place, they crossed. It was awkward being without covering trees.

The battle started before they were ready. Some horrible WindClan cats appeared out of seemingly nowhere.

As everything turned to flamewar, Brambleclaw found it difficult to think. What if this didn't stop them from sneaking around, probably stealing prey?

In that case, he thought again, we'll jsut have to try again.

Chapter  
It was impossible to not pay attention to the battle. At one point he narrowly avoided getting hit.

The rest wasn't very interesting. It was just like any other battle scene ever. You know.

After it was finished, Brambleclaw was about to follow the others. He realised he couldn't see Berrypaw for an awkward moment. After two or three seconds, however, he spotted him with the others.

"Leafpool, what are these things?"

Mousepaw showed a bunch of little red things to her.

"Ok, let's see. Those are kind of rare. What are they- WAIT! Those are deadly poisonous! Get away from them!"

"Umm, ok."

"These shouldn't be anywhere near the camp. Where did you get them?"

"They were is a neat pile in the hidden corner over there."

"Ok, something is really wrong."

Chapter  
"If you find these again, get rid of them.", she added after maybe a second of silence.

Squirrelflight had not been assigned to anything, so she was wandering around, seeing if everything she had hidden was still there.To her surprise, one of them, the one Mousepaw found, had disappeared. Oh well, she thought to herself, there are plenty of those anyway. No problem. Maybe I'll have to find better hiding places, but this is still better than it could be. They could've found out about my plan!

She went about to guard the camp again, so nobody would get too suspicious.

Chapter  
"Look, Leafpool says that Ashfur's dead. There's no use moping about it any more. Go back to normal, please", said Dustpelt, suddenly, misinterpreting her behaviour.

"I was over that ages ago. Are you suspicious or something? Have I done something wrong?"

She was over it. After all, she had noticed how Stormfur was acting. Ashfur would go ballistic. It was for the better. If he came back, anyway, it would complicate matters immensely.

Dustpelt went away, annoyed but without comment. Squirrelflight was also irritated, but for some reason she didn't know why it was. She wondered if Dustpelt knew too much about her plans.

Chapter  
The next day was cloudy, but still much colder than it had been for a while. It was well and truly leaf-fall. It was sheltered, so the wind didn't get into the camp.

Dustpelt was leading a patrol with some of the others. When they returned, he gave the good news that WindClan hadn't been anywhere near the border.

"So yeah, everything was totally fine", he finished up.

This was a significant relief to Brambleclaw. He had been worried that it wouldn't work, but he sort of knew from the start that it didn't really matter.

He had to go on a hunting patrol later. Maybe he could teach Berrypaw some stuff.

The day meandered on, and all the clouds blew past. Pretty soon it would get cold.

Chapter  
Leafpool had to go to the Moonpool a few days after that. She left as silently as she would get away with, the wind blowing in her face. It was rustling all the grass and the leaves. The way there was just as familiar as ever.

It was surprisingly quiet, nature surrounding her on all angles. Even though the path was the same, she thought, the trees seemed to move every time.

She continued quickly. Nothing seemed to be wrong. At the same time, she hoped that the wind would stop -- It was kind of irritating.

She saw Mothwing from quite a distance off -- At least she'd be on time for once.

Leafpool hurried on through the trees and stuff. She got there just before Mothwing.

Chapter  
The moon was shiny and bright, and exactly half empty, just the way it should be. Going up the steep track, she new that it wasn't far. Just over the next ridge was the hollow with the freakish glittery water.

She settled down, closely followed not too far off by the others. There was no conversation, only waiting for the moment when the moon was perfect.

Leafpools's visions were very strange, but still less troubled than usual. They all seemed centered around a similar subject; two great dangers appearing out of nowhere.

Once again, she got a vision of Ashfur. "This is not what you think it means..."

She woke up with a start. The others were still unconsious; she decided to leave early.

The more she thought about it, the weirder it got. What could it mean?

Chapter  
She got back and went back into her den. Only a few were awake.

It still made absolutely no sense. It didn't clarify What she was wondering, it made it more confusing. Why must everything be so vague?

She decided that it would be a good idea to ignore it -- After all, if it would come true anyway, nobody needs to try to stop it.

She settled down again -- She was kind of tired, anyway -- And it felt good to be allowed to have some rest for once. It was so soft and comfortable...

Many more days passed quietly -- quite a long time, too -- before anything much worth mentioning happened.

Chapter  
She didn't want to betray Squirrelflight for some reason, even though she had had evil motives all along. Her thoughts turned from "Why would anyone do that?" to "What would they be trying to achive by doing that?"

Whatever it meant, it was something sinister. She turned her attention to something less important.  
Meanwhile, on the other side of the camp, Berrypaw's training had progressed considerably. Going off to do something else, he realised that there was only about five or six more moons before his training was totally complete. Looking on, he realised that that was a long time. Anyway, there were likely to be many more urgent matters to attend to before then and now. Still, he couldn't help wondering what the future would bring.

Chapter  
"When will those berry things stop appearing?", he said to Dustpelt.

"Leafpool reckons it's a demented plot by Squirrelflight to do something evil. I wouldn't worry; you know how strange she is. I still can't help thinking about why Squirrelflight would want to do something like that."

"Leafpool also said that they were poisonous, right? That's what worries me. She also said that they're too dangerous to be near the camp. Especially when all controlled by someone unstable like Squirrelflight."

Dustpelt was listening carefully.

"Yes. Anyone could abuse their power easily to do very horrible things. At least we're getting rid of them as soon as they appear. I'd say we'll be perfectly safe and fine. There is absolutely nothing that is worth being afraid of as long as we keep doing this and nobody seriously messes up."

Chapter  
"Hmm. Maybe I shouldn't try to keep piles of them. It's not working."

Squirrelflight was talking to Brightheart a few days later.

"That's a good idea.", Brightheart replied, "But there's still a very big problem. How do we target the cats you want to take out your anger and lust for revenge on without harming anyone innocent?"

Brightheart had easily guessed what Squirrelflight was trying to do. It was an almost foolproof plan all right, but wasn't Squirrelflight overreacting a little?

"Don't worry. I 'm sure I can think up something. In, say...maybe thirteen days from now, let's meet again, right here. I'll tell you what I've got."

Brightheart left again in the same normal way. It was going to be difficult to pull off.

Chapter  
Notes: AN: Sorry for the delay, and the quality. circumstances have conspired to prevent me from updating.

Hey Leafpool come here quick!"

"What"

"Something's like wrong!"

"What's going on?"

"Look it's important!"

Mousepaw was obviously paniced.

"Hurry up right now! This is really important, come here, you need to know about this!"

"Please be quiet"

Leafpool decided to see what it was all about.

"There's something wrong with Brambleclaw and Sandstorm!"

"Wait, WHAT!?!??!?!?!??! That shouldn't be possible! Nothing was wrong like two days ago!"

"Well it is. You should really do something."

"Ok, but, would you please-"

Then Mousepaw went off. He was very useful, Leafpool thought, to say when something was wrong, but not really so much now.

Chapter  
Notes: Once again, sorry for the delay. I'll update more regularly in the future.

Leafpool rushed over to the two cats Mousepaw had mentioned. It suddenly occurred to her that it was much worse than she had thought, given Mousepaw's rather vague recount. They were most definitely very sick with something she didn't know about.

Oh no, she thought after a while. It might be Squirrelflight! I'm so confused! Something help me!

She went over to Sandstorm.

"What's wrong? Is there anything I can do?"

"It's not really all THAT bad. Mousepaw was just exaggerating. "

"You two still need some rest. It could get worse. Somebody else will have to organise the patrols. Don't worry too much. I'll get something right now."

She immediately went off to prepare some herbs.

Chapter  
After a while, Leafpool overheard something. It was Brackenfur.

"You know, that really doesn't sound good. Are you sure?"

"Yes, of course I'm sure!", Berrypaw was heard. "What other explanation is there?

"I don't know! Anyway, it's not important. I'm going right away to get someone to forbid you from doing ANYTHING about this. Got it?"

Leafpool realised that there was no point in listening in on harmless conversations. She was now finishing up with her herbs -- Now where had she left that particular one?

She couldn't help feeling uneasy -- There seemed to be something that she should be allowed to know, but can't for some reason. What that reason might be, however, was anyone's guess. She left to take the herbs to Snadstorm and Brambleclaw.

Chapter  
Two days later, Brackenfur as much more worried.

"Again? So he wasn't lying after all! This explains so much!"

He suddenly noticed that he shouldn't be acting like that, and suddenly became serious.

"Still, this is very bad. How long can he stay around? What will happen if it stays this way?"

Brackenfur's confusing use of pronouns made sure no onlookers had much idea what he was talking about beyond the obvious fact that it was yet more bad news.

"Is there something you're not telling me?", Leafpool suddenly burst in."

"What? No! I thought you knew. Anyway, it's not too important. Supposedly, they saw him again."

"Who is "him"?"

"Uhh, never mind."

Leafpool walked away again, silent but frustrated.

Chapter : THE TURNING POINT OF THE ENTIRE STORY BEGINS NOW  
On the way over to wherever she was going, Berrypaw appeared in front of her.

"Leafpool, this is really important. Brambleclaw's gotten much worse really suddenly--"

"Brambleclaw?! Oh. I totally forgot. I'll go get something as soon as I'm done with this."

"No, Leafpool", replied Berrypaw irritably. "It's REALLY bad." You need to get something NOW."

Leafpool hesitated a moment.

"What's wrong with you?!"

"Alright, fine. I have other things to do, though."

Leafpool prepared her things and was bringing some more herbs to Brambleclaw.

"Hey, Bambleclaw! Here are some more herbs! They should help.

"Thanks.", he replied. After a moment, he continued. "I want to talk to Berrypaw. There's something important."

"Ok. You should stay here, though. You need to rest. I'll go get him.

Berrypaw appeared a couple of seconds later.

"Hi.", Brambleclaw welcomed him. "This is important. Someone's out to get us. I don't know how I know that, though, and I don't know who it is.

He was getting worse extremely quickly.

"Why couldn't you have told me that earlier?"

"I just found out yesterday."

"I think I'll go now.", said Berrypaw. "You DO need to rest."

"No, I'll be perfectly fine without it."

To prove it, he tried to get to his feet, mostly successfully.

Some words flashed through Berrypaw's mind. This was all your fault. Remember that, ok?

"Oh no!" he said after a moment or two. He lay back down again very quickly, and stayed there for several minutes. "Berrypaw, you have to continue my quest."

Chapter  
"What?", said Berrypaw, shocked but also vaguely irritated about that one cliched line.

"I'll get Leafpool again"

"Don't bother. She's worthless,and even if she weren't, It's too late."

"No, you need to-"

"Goodbye..."

"NO! Brambleclaw! This sucks!"

Out of almost everything he could remember, losing Brambleclaw would be almost the most horrible thing ever.

I hate everything, he thought to himself. Absolutely everything.

"Leafpool!" He shouted, angrily.

"Yes? Anyway, I have to tell you that I already knew about all this before now."

"You really are useless! Why didn't you do something?"

"What"

"You already know."

"I guess it just didn't cross my mind."

Chapter  
t that time, Dustpelt was leading some patrol.

"Ok, I think this border's all clear. Let's check the other border."

The rest of the patrol waited speechless for an odd second, convinced that something immensely strange was about to happen. However, when nothing strange occurred, for some reason they felt relieved.

He led the patrol all the way over to the other border. Here, it was perfectly clear, too. Just the way it should be.

They eventually arrived back at camp. By now, there were three or four cats shouting insults at Leafpool about being useless.

"Oh no..." said Dustpelt, half to himself. "I wonder what's gone wrong this time."

Chapter  
"What?", shouted Cloudstar down at the small group.

"Explain to me what happened! Gosh, don't start a riot every time something happens!"

Spiderleg, who was one of the group, pushed Leafpool to the base of the Highledge. "You expain!"

Leafpool wisely said nothing, because obviously anything she said at that moment would be remembered, made fun of, and taken out of context for at least several seasons.

"Look, say something."

"She should be exiled right away", another one said mostly quietly.

"Yes. Now what are you going to do?"

"Did you hear me?", said Cloudstar again. I said "DON'T START A RIOT!"

Chapter  
"Well?", he said after a short while. "Somebody say something!"

Leafpool went off without anybody noticing, and Spiderleg started speaking after a moment or two.

"She knew that there was something seriously wrong with Brambleclaw! She didn't do anything about it and now he's dead! She's-"

"What?"

Cloudstar jumped down from the Highledge in a single awesome leap.

"What?!?!?!?!??!?! He's dead?!?!?!??!?!?! Why didn't you tell me about it?!?!?!??!?!?!???????"

Spiderleg couldn't come up with any plausible answer to his leader's question.

"This is really, really bad. Dustpelt and Brackenfur can go organise the patrols.

"But what do we do with Leafpool?"

"Worry about that later. For now, go away."

Chapter : Take Care Of My Neopets  
Some time much later, it was time for the ceremony to begin. Cloudstar finally came out to begin it.

"ALL CATS GATHER BENEATH THE HIGHLEDGE FOR A CLAN MEETING!"

As they gathered around, he began.

"Well...how could I start this..."  
"Err, well I'm sorry to tell everyone but...Brambleclaw is gone now."

"I already knew that!", three or four voices cried out inconsistently.

"I feel like it's all my fault...I'm sorry everyone. And I'm sorry if I sound like I don't care, I do, it's just I sound that way about everything."

As he finished, someone shouted "I blame Leaf-" but Cloudstar hurriedly called the entire meeting to an end so he could think some more.

Chapter  
From then until sunset, he thought about the same questions. What will the Clan do now? Who will be deputy? Why didn't Leafpool say anything?

He finally, finally decided it was time. He called another Clan meeting.

"ALL CATS GATHER FOR A CLAN MEETING!"

They gathered as normal.

"Ok. I've thought about this a lot, and I am finally ready to announce that Brackenfur will be the new deputy."

Mostly stunned silence as usual. He felt that the meeting was much too short for some reason. You can't just call a meeting only to say one or two lines. He couldn't think of anything, though. Why, just why did everything have to bee so difficult?

Chapter : POV Swap of An Hero  
He woke up with an awry feeling. Something wasn't right.

"Well if it isn't the great ThunderClan deputy... It's been a while since we met, hasn't it?

He got to his feet, still feeling kind of weak. "A-Ashfur??"

"What, it took you that long to realise?"

"This isn't – well, what is this place?"

"You figure it out."

Ashfur turned and left.

"Wait! I don't understand!"

I don't recognise anything, he thought to himself. What's wrong? Where is this place?

Wait a second, he thought. Ashfur?

In one second, it dawned on him.

Back on the prime material plane, things were somewhat less mysterious, still.

Chapter  
Dustpelt was leading a hunting patrol. It had been fairly successful thus far, seeing as it was very cold. He decided that it was a good idea to check nearer the lake.

Suddenly he halted.

"Something's wrong", he breathed. "Notice that scent? We better go back soon. Let's check... over there!"

He headed northeast with the others following.

Anyway, there was suddenly less prey, even there. Something had come through here, but noone knew what. The sky was overcast again, and a gentle breeze whistled through the forest. Dustpelt decided that it was a good idea to go back to camp right about then. " Ok, this isn't going to well. I think we should go and search this place some other time." The others agreed, and followed him back.

Chapter : A Step Back  
A whole lot of more time passed. Maybe another six or seven weeks. Berrypaw was still depressed about Brambleclaw's death and all, but the rest of the Clan was going along quite ok indeed. Nothing absolutely horrible had happened in that time, or else I would've written about it.

Even at this time, there were no particularly important events. Leaf-bare, which was mild and unimportant and thus had been glossed over in the confusion, was now almost over.

In fact, there were now only a few more moons left until Berrypaw's warrior ceremony.

Around that time, though, something very strange began to happen, but it was not immediately obvious for now.

Either way, after all this time, one of the greatest mysteries of the whole story was about to reveal itself. However...

Chapter  
Berrypaw, for now, really needed to talk to Dustpelt about some relatively unimportant idea he had. When he couldn't find him, he asked some of the others who were in the camp at the time. They, surprisingly, said they hadn't seen him recently either. Had he just entirely disappeared?  
It was very strange.

Curious about why, he asked his leader about it. Cloudstar's response was that the previous night, he told him he had to leave for a few days for a reason nobody but Dustpelt himself knew. Berrypw thought that this was extremely strange, both that Dustpelt would want to leave for several days and also that nobody else in the Clan seemed to know about it. No explanation his mind could possibly conjure up made everything make sense. He just didn't understand!

Chapter  
It was four or five days later when he reappeared, windblown but perfectly fine. Two of the first questions that he was asked were where he had gone and why.

Firstly, he wouldn't say a word until he was sure that only those that he wanted to hear could. When he was sure, he began his answer in a low voice.

"I'm scared", he began, "that an evil plot is going on inside the Clan. Night after night I listened in on voices I couldn't recognise. I figured out that they were going to do something two days ago. I wanted to make sure I wasn't there when that happened. By the way, DID anything evil happen while I was away?

"Oh my, Dustpelt, you certainly are paranoid. No, nothing happened at all.", replied Brackenfur.

This seemed to come as a great relief, as Dustpelt looked more comfortable all of a sudden.  



End file.
